Platinum: A New Age
by Faiika
Summary: A teenage girl, kidnapped and enslaved by an evil organization of carcinogenic villains, saves Nightwing's life after torture to repay a debt she feels she owes him. She's seen as a half-starved, paranoid waif of a girl, but is there more to her than meets the eye?
1. In Captivity

This one is dedicated to a great mentor of mine: SSG McCullough.

Chapter 1: In Captivity

The door closed behind me as I stepped into the chamber, carrying a steel tray topped with the cruel instruments of torture The Doctor had ordered. Although I kept my head down, I could still see The Doctor in his blood-stained white robe, and I saw that a man had been chained to the steel table, breathing heavily. Before I could see who the man was, The Doctor turned to me, and I quickly dropped my gaze.

I could tell the doctor wore his eerie grin as he took the tray from me gently, cooing in his awful, creepy voice, "Thank you, sweetheart." I suppressed a shudder. He brought the tray to the tall stool by the torture table, and delicately picked up a long, brittle, and very sharp rod. He admired it, holding it with blood stained plastic gloves, examining its point. As he considered the lethal tool, I snuck a glance at the victim.

My eyes widened with shock.

Sure, it had been years since I'd last seen him, and it had been in a dark alley then; still, you don't forget the masked guy who saved your life wielding escrima sticks. Of course, those weapons of his had been confiscated before the torture started, probably the moment they captured him. But I knew it was him. It was that vigilante from Gotham, the protege of Batman. His black domino mask still covered his face, but his black uniform was riddled with the gory gashes that The Doctor had already inflicted. His eyes, piercing and icy blue, stared at me. I felt trapped under his gaze, like a tick under a microscope. Did he recognize me? Surely not. I had been thirteen then, and I hadn't yet known the horrors of being a slave to the Delta.

"Ah, yes," The Doctor sighed, and I flinched and looked away. "Do you see how weak this young man is now? And to think, he was once the Boy Wonder, the star student of the great Batman. They call him by Nightwing now, though not for long. Soon, he'll be… healed."

I felt Nightwing's eyes still on me, but I averted his gaze. If The Doctor discovered that I knew Nightwing, I had no doubt in my mind that The Doctor would use it to his twisted advantage.

So, I could only stay silent and conceal my heightened emotions as The Doctor inflicted more wounds, and I struggled to contain myself, as Nightwing screamed and writhed with agony, and as The Doctor calmly told him, "This'll make you feel _all_ better."

Minutes stretched into hours, but they still seemed like forever to me. I tried to distract myself from the horrors, to tell myself stories in my head, as I often did whenever things were going terribly wrong, like my recapture a week ago after a failed escape attempt. _Once upon a time, once upon a time, once upon a time…_ But no matter what I tried, no story came to mind past the blood-curdling screams of Nightwing's pain.

At last, The Doctor was packing up his torture instruments with deliberate slowness and walked to the door. "Oh, and angel," he called to me over his shoulder, "you may attend to the patient now. He needs to be ready for tomorrow's appointment." And then he left.

I exhaled softly with relief, my heart still racing. He was gone. I turned to the cabinet with the medical supplies in it, grabbing bandages and treatments from inside. I would not look at him. I would not.

"I… know you."

The voice was a barely audible rasp, and I stiffened. I slowly turned to Nightwing; he was still staring at me, but I could tell he was fading, losing consciousness in seconds. The pale blue eyes closed, and I felt both relief and… regret.

I was relieved that he could find a break from the pain in his sleep, albeit temporary, and because I knew exactly how he was feeling. The Doctor was never pleased with me after my escape attempts.

But I also felt regret. I felt regret because he had saved my life once, and I was preparing him for a healing session, only so he could endure another episode of torture tomorrow. I was no one special when he saved me, but he didn't seem to care about that. I felt disgusted with myself.

I turned back to the cabinet, and then I paused. This yellow chemical here, locked up in the glass safe… it could temporarily boost endurance, strength, and the senses. It was there for The Doctor's experiments, and to be honest, I'd been waiting for the chance to use it on myself the next time there was an opportunity for escape. But in that moment, I realized what I could do to repay the debt Nightwing made by saving my life. My hands shaking, I took one of the bloody torture tools from the stool and broke the glass.

Time was of the essence. Someone had probably heard that, or, more likely, there were cameras monitoring the room, and if anyone found out what I was doing, they'd do anything to stop me. I pulled out the syringe and the chemical.

The sirens blared, alerting me that I was caught, but they were too late. I had just injected Nightwing when guards burst into the room, shouting and pulling me away from the table. They beat me and kicked me, until I saw stars. But through the pain, I felt at peace. Maybe, just this once, I'd done something right…

I heard the sudden yells of surprise, the gunshots, the sound of bodies hitting the floor, but I didn't process this until steady arms lifted me.

I blinked slowly, barely able to focus. Nightwing was running down the hall, carrying me, and the sirens wailed. "What…?" I croaked. "What are you doing?"

"Saving your life," he panted.

"Why?" I whispered in a hoarse wheeze. Something, probably a kick from one of those guards, had damaged my ribs, and it hurt to breathe.

"Because you saved mine."

"I…" I coughed, a wracking, sputtering cough. "No… you were supposed to… escape…"

"I am, just not alone."

And then I slipped into oblivion.

_Author's Note:_

_I'm still kinda new to DC, but I've been doing a lot of research on it, so I'm gonna give this fanfic a shot. Still, if you catch a mistake, please tell me so that I can correct it right away. Even though I have not really been into DC for more than a few years, that does not affect my passion, and I have to say, Nightwing is my absolute FAVORITE, whether you mean the Bat Family, DC Comics, or just superheroes in general. _

_Also, I am going to warn you: some major characters in this are, sadly, OC, due to my lack of background knowledge. For example: The Doctor. (I certainly hope there isn't__already a villain by that name. There probably is, but for now, ignorance is bliss, I suppose.) I'm going to do my best to keep the story focused on DC story-lines, but no promises._

_Please review!_


	2. Freedom?

Chapter 2: Freedom?

I woke up to the constant, steady beeping from a machine. I opened my eyes and blinked away the sluggishness that comes from sleep, and as I did so, my surroundings came into focus.

I lay in a clean hospital bed in a white room, hooked up to an IV, and blinked with the beeping heart monitor. My side had been patched up with heavy bandages, and the numerous bruises on my body had also been attended to. I could hear the heart rate monitor speed up as my panic rose. Why was I in a hospital? Where was I exactly, and how did I get here? Did the Delta arrange this? Were they preparing me for a new torture? Had I tried to attempt escape again?

My breath and pulse quickened, and I bolted upright, ripping away the IV and the heart rate cord. The monitor instantly went dead, buzzing from the lack of pulse, and I hurriedly slid out of bed, rushed to and opened the door, and…

Screamed.

A tall young man in a red and yellow supersuit I didn't recognize stood in the doorway. His eyes narrowed, and he frowned at me. "Going somewhere?"

I slowly backed back into the room, and he continued to glare menacingly from the doorway. I didn't have to ask to know that he was guarding me, to make sure I didn't try to run. I gulped. The Delta's guards had never been lax on the beatings.

Just then, there was an attention-getting cough from behind him, and the man moved to admit Nightwing. "It's fine, KF," he said, addressing the man but looking at me. His uniform showed no signs of the torture he'd endured, and he still wore that mask. "Let me talk to her."

KF, the man in the strange suit, scowled, but shut the door, leaving me alone with Nightwing.

Nightwing seated himself on the visitor's chair beside the bed. I cautiously sat on the edge of the bed, tense and ready to fend off an attack if necessary. I hoped it wouldn't be; I had no doubt that he would have no trouble fighting a scrawny girl like me.

After a few tense moments, he smiled, a crooked, disarming sort of half-grin. "You're pretty jumpy."

I said nothing.

He let out a sigh, sitting back in his chair. "What's your name?"

I was hesitant. "...Emma."

Then he leaned forward, smiling, but his mask made the expression just slightly chilling. "I won't hurt you. You can trust me."

"Where am I?"

"Mount Justice. I brought you here after you saved my life." His expression darkened. "Those guards, they beat you pretty badly. You could've died."

"You killed them?"

"No. We don't kill; we only... disarm."

I scowled. "They deserved death." Then I realized what he'd said, and I gaped at him with surprise. "Wait… Mount Justice?"

"Base of operations for the team."

I blinked, feeling stiff with disbelief. "I'm… I'm not at the Delta's headquarters?"

His mouth twitched. "No. Not anymore."

My eyes widened, my lips parted, and my mind tried to wrap around what he'd just said. Free? How…? What…? "This isn't a trick, is it?" My voice sounded raspy with longing.

"No. You're safe." He was watching me with silent confusion, searching my face with questions I know I couldn't answer. Not yet, at least.

Safe? How long ago had I really been safe? I'd spent years as the Delta's slave, and I'd been fifteen last I'd been outside in the sunshine. But my whole life, I've never been completely safe. Living on the streets, among crime and poverty and corruption… not to mention the whole… incident… in the abandoned warehouse when I was nine… My mind told me not to trust anything so impossible, but my heart desperately pleaded for it to be true, for it to be truly… safe.

I looked up at him, and he gave me another smile.

I felt like I still owed him something. Not just because he'd saved my life (twice now), but because he'd given me something I'd always desired but could never have, till now. Freedom. I had a sudden compelling urge to tell him something, something I rarely told anyone, especially these past few years.

"Sarah."

"What?"

"My name isn't really Emma. That was a con. It's Sarah. Sarah McCullough."

He grinned a full grin this time, showing white teeth. It would be a lie if I said that that grin wasn't just a little appealing. "Nice to meet you, Sarah."

"Nightwing." KF had returned, opening the door and stepping in. "Can I talk to you? Alone?" He sounded a tad miffed.

Nightwing glanced at me, then back at him. "I'll be there in a sec."

KF sucked his teeth, clearly impatient. "I'll be in the control room, then." He left, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Sorry. Kid Flash is just a little… suspicious. But don't worry. This isn't the first new girl at Mount Justice he's had to get used to."

"Kid-?"

"Yeah, Kid Flash. You know, the Flash's old sidekick? My best friend." He stood. "Sorry, but I gotta go. I'll get someone in here to keep you company, okay?" He winked and left.

I sat there, still stunned, hardly able to believe that I was free. But… what if I wasn't? What if I was just another suspect to keep under close watch for the Justice League? But, no, I couldn't believe that. I couldn't allow myself to believe that the one hero I'd allowed myself the luxury of trusting would do something like that. Right? Nightwing wouldn't be that duplicitous… would he?

Author's Note:

For all who tried to read this chapter before I readjusted it, I AM SORRY! I have no idea how the text managed to turn out that way, but it should be fixed now. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Did you like Chapter 2? I know it wasn't as exciting as chapter 1, but there'll be more of that soon enough. I apologize about the hospital tech; I was on a bit of shaky ground there, as I have very little knowledge on exactly how IVs and heart monitors and hospitals in general work. I gave it my best shot, though.

Another thing that was bothering me while I typed this: Sarah told Nightwing her true identity after he revealed to her she was safe. Was that believable enough, or was that too soon for her to start trusting him? I mean, after all, she's had a hard life. Take the abandoned warehouse incident for instance… **COUGH backstory COUGH**

Please review!


	3. The Sky is Falling

Chapter 3:

"I don't like her."

Nightwing rolled his eyes. "When did we switch personalities?"

KF turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Nightwing replied, turning to face the computer monitors, "you always used to be so… carefree, and I've always been… well, less so. Now _you're _being suspicious, and _I'm_ the carefree one? Don't you see the irony in that?"

"Still don't like her." KF sighed. "C'mon, man, you've gotta see where I'm coming from! You're kidnapped. The Doctor's assistant just _happens_ to know the very chemical drug that gives you the perfect chance of escape. She injects you, probably knowing you'll have the compassion to save her as well. You save her, she reports back to The Doctor from inside Mount Justice. See what I mean?"

Nightwing didn't reply as he typed up a report to Batman.

"Dude, this is serious."

Nightwing turned to his best friend. "KF, you can't seriously be telling me that you're acting like this just because of her, right?"

KF pursed his lips. "Fine. I admit there's more going on than that. But just think about it, okay?"

"I am. I just don't think that's what's going on; her being a spy, I mean. It doesn't seem right. You should've seen her face when I told her she was free from the Delta."

"The _DELTA?!_"

Nightwing winced. "Oops…"

"The _Doctor_ is part of the _Delta?!_ When did this happen?! Why didn't you _tell _me?!"

"Because I knew you'd react like you are now." He didn't bother answering the other question.

KF put his head in his hands and sat down in one of the computer chairs with a thump. "Jeez, Rob."

"Nightwing, not Robin. Not anymore."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm being perfectly serious. Nightwing is more age-appropriate, especially since Tim replaced me as Robin Number Three."

"No, that's not what I meant, and you _know_ that!" KF stood. "I don't trust her, _Nightwing_, and neither should you."

"Everything okay?"

The two heroes turned to find Artemis there, her suit on, her mask off, her hair up and her bow behind her back. She tilted her head with a lopsided grin. "Nightwing and Kid Flash, fighting? The sky really _is _falling."

KF looked at Nightwing, still mad. "Artemis and I were planning on going somewhere tonight. Call us if you need us. We'll be back." He grabbed his stuff and turned to leave.

"Have fun on your date!" Nightwing called at Kid Flash's retreating back.

"Don't be dumb," was the reply, and then the two of them were gone.

"Never am," Nightwing muttered to himself as he resumed typing.

"Hi!"

I jumped at the sudden voice.

A floating green girl with short auburn hair materialized in the air in front of me. "Sorry," she apologized, "I just had to make sure you weren't a threat before I revealed myself."

"Who are you?"

"Miss Martian, but you can call me M'Gann. Nightwing said you saved his life. Good job. That was a really heroic thing to do."

I shrugged.

"So, are you comfortable? So you need anything? Some food, a couple of movies, whatever?"

I hesitated, then shook my head.

"Hmm. You sure? Cause I can bring you whatever you want."

I swallowed. "Maybe… some scissors?"

She blinked. "Scissors?"

I blushed. "My hair's getting too long."

"You have beautiful hair. A nice platinum color. Don't you want it professionally done?"

"Huh?"

She looked startled. "You _have_ gotten your hair done before, right?"

"Uh…"

She beamed. "Well, that's great, because I've been looking for an excuse to see Rachel again! Don't worry; you are gonna _love_ this…"

Author's Note:

I hope the ending of this chapter did not sound nearly as sappy as it did when I wrote this…

Also, so it's going to be a little slower with the next few updates, because the first three chapters I'd already written before I posted it on FanFiction. All I needed to do was type them up. But I've got to figure out exactly how I want Chapter Four to go before I type it up, seeing as there's no written draft yet. I'll try to get it done as fast as I can.

And, Lucy, dearest cousin, if you did get the time to read this, please email me ASAP and tell me what you think so far. I NEED YOUR OPINION!

For everyone else who favorited/followed this story, THANK YOUUUUUUUUUU! Please please please please PLEASE tell me if you noticed something that didn't make sense or didn't add up with the story. I'd love to hear what you think, people!

As usual, please review!

PS: Is this chapter too short?


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